Bourne fire chief retirement announced. Two natural resources officials also retire.
BUZZARDS BAY — Fire Chief David Cody, a 30-year veteran of the Bourne Fire Department, will step down July 5.
Town Administrator Marlene McCollem, who made the announcement on April 29, said Assistant Fire Chief David Pelonzi “has graciously agreed to serve as the interim chief of the department until the (state) Civil Service list is certified to appoint a permanent chief.”
McCollem praised Cody’s dedication and service to the community.
"I am very excited for him as he embarks on his next adventure, and I’m happy that I will still get to work with him as part of the team that will be building a new station,” she said. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Chief Cody and am very proud of his great work leading the fire department.”
Cody has been working with the South Side Fire Station Search Committee in recent years to select a suitable location for a new firehouse to be built south of the Cape Cod Canal. The panel recently decided on a forested tract north of the Shore Road ballfield at Monument Beach, which remains in conservation control and is environmentally protected by the state.
Action on assuming town control of the Shore Road tract had been marked up for the town meeting warrant for Monday, May 6, but the Select Board in late April moved the issue to a November special session.
Cody is the 11th fire department chief, dating back to the early 1970s, not counting the late Bob Eldridge, who served as interim commander on two occasions. Cody served as interim chief himself and then assumed command of the department.
Two other retirements
Cody was on hand Tuesday at a reception at the town hall for retirement of Natural Resources Department Director Chris Southwood and Senior Natural Resources Officer Sharon Hamilton.
Southwood served as the department's fifth director since the department was created by an act of the October special town meeting in 1972. The department was fashioned as the first such town unit on the Cape.
Hamilton started work in the department as a secretary two decades ago and rose through the ranks as an officer. She was the first female hired in the unit, which was formed with U.S. Air Force veterans.
Bourne at the time was a premier shellfishing community. That has changed. Bourne is now known more as a boating hub.
Southwood said he would “continue to be around” in retirement. He has spent the last few years working on dredging plans.
Southwood also worked with a committee to revise the town wetlands regulations and reintroduce private dock construction projects, something that has helped fill out Conservation Commission agendas for the past year. A dock moratorium had been in effect for two decades.
The Cape Cod Times is providing this coverage for free as a public service. Please take a moment to support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Bourne to lose fire chief and chief dredge official to retirement
